Laboratory animal core facility

The Laboratory animal core facility forms a part of the Biomedical technology complex at BMC, and it has been designed and built in collaboration with international experts with the aim to follow the standards for modern experimental animal facility. The facility opened the doors in the middle of 2016 and serves as a platform enabling scientists to bring their research into in vivo models.

The main area within the facility is specific pathogen free (SPF) and currently is the only in vivo experimental laboratory in Latvia corresponding these requirements. Within the SPF area (180 m2), there are several functionally and microbiologically isolated units – i.e., quarantine, individual animal holding rooms for mice, rats, immunologically deficient/compromised mice, and an area for using mouse models of infectious diseases, each having adjacently located procedure/surgery rooms. Within this area, rodents are maintained exclusively in individually ventilated cages (overall capacity >1000 IVCs). Outside the SPF area, there is a conventional open cage room for non-SPF rodent housing and an adjacent procedure room.

The necessary level of biocontainment and bioexclusion within the facility is ensured by IVCs, pass-through autoclaves, automated cage washer, air shower, BLS2 level laminar hoods and cage changing stations, hydrogen peroxide vaporiser as well as specialised and HEPA filter controlled regulated ventilation system.